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silverbirdtravelplusltd-blog · 5 years

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10 best islands for a Malaysia holiday

From the cosmopolitan charm of Penang to the hippie getaway of the Perhentians, a diverse array of islands offer a huge variety of Malaysia holiday options. Here, in no particular order, we present our Top 10 best islands in Malaysia. 1. Perhentians: Hippie hideaway

While many backpacker haunts have become gentrified over time, the Perhentians have managed to retain their low-key vibe. Courtesy G E M/Creative Commons/Flickr They might not be easy to get to, but the Perhentian islands off the northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia have achieved iconic status on the backpacker trail. And for good reason -- the waters are so clean that you can snorkel right off the beach and still see a diverse array of aquatic life. Fishermen turned tour guides will also take you out in their small boat for a day trip to swim with sharks and turtles. In the evening, beach bars set up cushions on the sand as wandering fire artists do their thing. Where to stay: For high-end Malaysia holiday lodgings, check out the Tuna Bay Island Resort. Budget hunters should look up Abdul Chalet. Getting there: Regular buses leave from Hentian Putra bus station in Kuala Lumpur, taking nine hours. Alternatively, fly from Kuala Lumpur's LCCT airport to Kota Bharu, and then catch a taxi to the port town of Kuala Besut. 2. Tioman: An island for flashpackers

The island of Tioman and the waters surrounding it are protected nature reserves, which has helped it retain its wild vibe. Courtesy tak.wing/Creative Commons/Flickr Although part of the Malaysian state of Pahang, Tioman is actually reached from the Johor town of Mersing. There's also a direct ferry from Singapore. This popular Malysia holiday island has two claims to fame that continue to be hyped by media and marketers. One, the dramatic topography of this teardrop-shaped isle in the South China Sea was (supposedly) used as a backdrop for the 1958 movie "South Pacific," while Time magazine named it one of the world's most beautiful islands in the 1970s. Though it's now a firm fixture on the tourist trail and has lost a little of its exotic mystique, it retains --- where many of its Southeast Asian contemporaries have lost theirs --- the natural environment and wildlife that first made it famous. First among animals, on land at least, are the giant monitor lizards that roam among the kampungs (Malay for villages) in search of food. Don't worry, they avoid humans. Most of the time. Where to stay: For a boutique experience, check out JapaMala. Getting there: There are bus services from all over Malaysia to Mersing; from here it's a two-hour boat ride to the first jetty on the island. Tioman also has a small airport, which Berjaya Airways flies to from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. 3. Langkawi: Best for luxury

Don't worry, Lankawai has the same stunning beaches as the rest of these islands. We just thought you might be tired of looking at white sand. Courtesy Jan Bjerring/Creative Commons/Flickr Located right by the border with Thailand, Langkawi is part of the Malaysian state of Kedah, not Perlis which is in fact directly adjacent. Famously, the Malaysia island was believed to have been cursed in 1819, when a woman named Mahsuri, was put to death for alleged adultery. Before she died, she uttered the words, "There shall be no peace and prosperity on this island for a period of seven generations." Two years later Langkawi fell to the invading Thais, with much of its population subsequently dying from starvation. The island was then indeed barren for a long time, before Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamed --- the colossus of Malaysian politics who also built Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers and the Sepang F1 circuit --- decided to turn it into a resort island in 1986. He declared it a duty-free island, and ever since then Langkawi's growth has been nothing short of spectacular, with high-profile resorts dotting its sandy shores to make it a Malaysia holiday star. The best way to take it all in is on the 2,200-meter-long cable car, which rises some 710 meters above sea level. Interestingly, Mahsuri's husband and son moved to Phuket after the Thai invasion, and it was on that island that her seventh generation descendant was born --- in the year 1986. Coincidence? Where to stay: They don't come much more stylish --- or eclectic --- than Bon Ton, eight traditional Malay homes set in a former coconut plantation. Or there's always the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi. Getting there: Langkawi has by far the best flight connections of any Malaysian island, with dozens of daily flights to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Penang. 4. Penang: Food and heritage

Historic Georgetown is a highlight of Penang. Courtesy Phalinn Ooi/Creative Commons/Flickr The Pearl of the Orient has a long and illustrious history. "Discovered" by Captain Francis Light in 1786, Prince of Wales Island, as it once was known, was for a long time one of the jewels of the British empire. Alongside Melaka and Singapore it was known as one of the Straits Settlements, a string of outposts that dominated the sea trade between India and the rest of Asia. However, its importance gradually waned over the centuries, before it was rediscovered as a Malaysia holiday destination and reinvented as an IT hub. Today, under the close eye of Malaysian opposition and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, the island is proudly parading its past --- the UNESCO status granted to historic Georgetown in 2008 guarantees that. But its greatest attraction is its street food --- from Penang laksa off Macalister Road to banana leaf in Little India to seafood on Gurney Drive --- you'll find it all here. Alongside a raft of improvements designed to attract even more visitors, including investment in public transport, a tree planting program, pedestrianization schemes and a schedule of new cultural festivals and fairs, this magnificent island --- only slightly smaller than Singapore --- is once again making its mark on the world stage. Where to stay: Since 1948, the recently restored Lone Pine sits serenely on the north shore of the island, while for city digs look no further than the Hotel Penaga, heritage buildings in the heart of town. Attracting a lot of attention among luxury lovers is the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, a restored colonial property. Getting there: Flights from around the world land at Penang International Airport. From there, inexpensive taxis can transport you to destinations around the island, or you can catch the airport bus into town. 5. Labuan: An isle of bankers

Clear waters, white sands and offshore banks. What everyone looks for in an island. Courtesy prilfish/Creative Commons/Flickr Located off the coast of East Malaysia, sandwiched between Sarawak and Sabah, Labuan is one of three Federal Territories (the others are Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya). Its special status as an international offshore financial centre and free trade zone has allowed it to attract outside investment from the financial sector (some 6,500 offshore companies are based here). Long-term, the Malaysian government envisions the island as becoming one of the world's major offshore business centres, akin to the Middle Eastern hubs of Dubai or Bahrain. While it has some way to go to achieve similar status, the nation has a track record of dreaming big and making it happen -- the Petronas Towers and annual F1 race attest to that. If you're not involved in the financial services, there are other reasons to visit such as wreck diving. Over the years, numerous ships were sunk in the shallow waters off Labuan, making it ideal for novice divers. These are simply known as the American, Australian, Blue Water and Cement Wreck. There is also a well-tended War Cemetery, where an annual remembrance ceremony is held for some 3,900 Allied soldiers who died during in World War II. Where to stay: For both service and quality, it's a close toss-up between the Tiara Labuanand the Grand Dorsett. Getting there: There are daily flights to Labuan Airport from Kuala Lumpur, Miri in Sarawak and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. There is also an air-conditioned ferry to Brunei. 6. Layang-Layang: Isolation guaranteed

Would you call this an island? Layang-Layang's isolation makes it one of Asia's best diving experiences. Courtesy Matthew Lee/Creative Commons/Flickr Little more than a coral reef with a runway, the tiny island of Layang-Layang is located some 300 kilometers northwest of the Sabah capital of Kota Kinabalu (KK), the state to which it belongs. A creation of the Malaysian Navy, which reclaimed land from the sea in order to state the nation's sovereignty over the Spratlys, that South China Sea island group also claimed whole or in part by China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. Surrounded by pristine waters that drop to 2,000 meters, Layang-Layang is often ranked as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world due to its remarkable array of marine life. Due to the Navy's presence, the coral reef has been spared the explosive damage caused by dynamite fishing and other destructive practices, leading to underwater visibility of more than 40 meters. Particularly of note are the schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks, which can sometimes number in the hundreds, though you can also expect to see manta rays, dolphins, barracuda and turtles. Where to stay: Easy one to answer. At the only game in town, the traditional-styled Layang Layang Island Resort run by the Avillion group. Getting there: The only way in and out of this Malaysia island is on a charter flight from Kota Kinbalu, with the price included in the various packages offered by the only place to stay on the island. 7. Sipadan: For hard-core divers

In his 1989 film "Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle," famed underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau said, "I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art." Courtesy Benjamin Hollis/Creative commons/Flickr At the end of 2002, following a long dispute with Indonesia, the International Court of Justice ruled that the island of Sipadan was Malaysian. The country, and the state of Sabah which it is part of, have reason to be relieved. Sipadan is often rated as the world's best dive site, with a location in the centre of the planet's most bio-diverse marine habitat. In order to protect the fragile ecosystem of this Malaysia holiday destination, in 2004 the government ordered all of the dive resorts off the island, banned night dives and set a limit of 120 divers per day. The move worked, as the surrounding waters continue to teem with life. It's home to 3,000 species of fish, hundreds of species of coral, an abundance of rays and sharks and large populations of green and hawksbill turtles --- so much so there is a famous turtle tomb, an underwater labyrinth that has drowned many of the unfortunate sea creatures. Where to stay: As you are not allowed to stay on Sipadan itself, stay close by at theSipadan Kapalai Dive Resort built on stilts over the water or Sipadan Pom Pom Resort. Getting there: It's a 55-minute flight from Kota Kinbalu to the town of Tawau, an hour's drive to the even smaller township of Semporna, and then a 40-minute speedboat ride. 8. Redang: For a 'Summer Holiday'

If you get tired of white beaches, Redang has plenty of wildlife, including monkeys, deer and monitor lizards. Courtesy Phalinn Ool/Creative Commons/Flickr The Redang archipelago actually consists of nine islands, namely Lima, Paku Besar, Paku Kecil, Kerengga Besar, Kerengga Kecil, Ekor Tebu, Ling, Pinang and Redang itself. Together, they form a marine park situated 45 kilometers off the east Peninsular Malaysia state of Terengganu. Unlike its close cousins, the backpacker-filled Perhentian islands to the north, Redang is very much an upmarket destination, with mostly resort accommodation on offer. Accordingly, the island also has its own airport, served by Berjaya Air, which since 2004 has flown daily to Kuala Lumpur's Subang Airport and Singapore's Changi. With excellently preserved coral, the main attractions of Redang are snorkeling, diving and the crystal clear waters. You'll need to stick close to the shoreline regardless, as the interior is mostly impassable, apart from a road that connects the airport with the coast. In 2000, the Malaysian island was the setting for Hong Kong movie "Summer Holiday," which featured Cantopop star Sammi Cheng and Taiwanese heartthrob Richie Ren. The success of the film led to a sudden influx of tourists. Where to stay: The same company that owns the only airport and airline to fly in, also has the best place to stay, The Taaras, by Berjaya. However, film fans should head to the Laguna Redang Island Resort, where the colourful souvenir shop was a key setting in the movie "Summer Holiday." Getting there: If you don't want to pay to fly in directly, the alternative is to fly to Kuala Terengganu, and then continue by car and take a ferry from the port of Merang. 9. Rawa: For a weekend break

Not all of us have opportunities to stay in a sultan's lair. Rawa is the next best thing. Courtesy Phalinn Ooi/Creative Commons/Flickr There aren't many chances to stay on a Sultan's private island. Rawa is one. Owned by the family of the Sultanate of Johor, Rawa is a small island 16 kilometers off the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Only two resorts hug its white-sand fringed west coast, which is accessible by boat from the mainland port of Mersing (also the departure point for more distant Tioman). Because of this exclusivity, Rawa attracts tourists looking for a more secluded vacation. While the west coast is postcard perfect, the rest of the shoreline consists of inaccessible, dramatic rocky cliffs that plunge directly into the sea. To check these out, take the easy way and rent a canoe or hike up steep steps to the summit of the island, from where you have vantages of the eastern shore, the coast of Johor and the other 12 small islands that make up the Johor Marine Park. As your choice of accommodation is limited -- it can often fill up quick with young Singaporeans looking for a weekend getaway -- so book up early. Where to stay: There are only two places to stay on the island: Rawa Island Resort or the smaller Alang's Rawa. Getting there: From Kuala Lumpur, catch a bus or drive to Mersing, from where regular ferries depart. Note that during low season (November to March), ferry frequency can drop sharply. 10. Pangkor: Loved by locals

Tiny Pulau Pangkor lies off Perak on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. Courtesy Phalinn Ooi/Creative Commons/Flickr Despite measuring just eight square kilometres, Pulau Pangkor (pulau is the Malay word for island) is one of the most popular beach getaways in Malaysia -- among locals, that is. Pangkor is one of the country's most accessible islands, yet it is overwhelmingly the preserve of Malaysians, who head there every long weekend for a little rest and relaxation. There is little in terms of nightlife but instead you'll find uncrowded sandy beaches, a huge variety of amazing local cuisine and friendly people. Where to stay: Try the Pangkor Island Beach Resort. Getting there: There are direct flights to the island from Subang's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport via Kuala Lumpur, or it's a 30 minute ferry ride from the town of Lumut. Editor's note: This article was previously published in 2012. It was reformatted and republished in 2017 by CNN Travel Read the full article

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darkpitsgirl · 3 years

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Mee Hailam Phalinn Ooi

#Mee Hailam Phalinn Ooi

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bisakimia · 5 years

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Pentingnya Puasa Bagi Kesehatan

Ramadhan (Photo credit: phalinn)

Dalam bulan Ramadhan ini, hampir semua umat muslim di dunia menjalani puasa ramadhan yang merupakan salah satu kewajiban umat islam yang termasuk salah satu rukun islam.

Dalam setiap hal yang diperintahkan oleh Allah swt pasti ada hikmah yang terkandung dalamnya, walaupun tidak semuanya kita tahu, begitu pula dalam berpuasa. Dalam sebulan penuh kita berpuasa.

Tent…

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contactsouls · 6 years

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10 Best Hotels and Resorts in Andaman

Image courtesy: Phalinn Ooi. Looking for the ‘Top 15 Luxury Hotels and Resorts on Andaman Island? We at the Road Less Travelled understand that when it comes to planning a dream vacation to a place, luxury seeks importance. And what better way to spend your holiday than relaxing at a luxury hotel or booking a […] from WordPress https://ift.tt/2KWghC8 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

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tripbaa-travel-blog · 6 years

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馬六甲景點美食懶人包｜馬六甲海峽－好吃、好玩全攻略

▲馬六甲旋轉觀光塔。（圖／攝影者：Tristan Schmurr, Flickr CC License）

馬六甲海峽特色介紹

來到馬來西亞，除了第一大城吉隆坡之外，肯定也不能錯過充滿故事和歷史古蹟的馬六甲海峽，尤其馬六甲和濱城的喬治市一起在2008年申請世界文化遺產成功後，更吸引了大批旅人前往，馬上就跟著小編一起來去馬六甲海峽，看看有哪些歷史古蹟、好吃好玩的！

點我預定：吉隆坡→馬六甲

點我預定：吉隆坡→馬六甲包車深度遊古城

點我預定：吉隆坡→馬六甲深度二日遊

直接看更多馬來西亞玩法…

馬六甲海峽文化介紹

▲馬來西亞馬六甲。（圖／Tripbaa趣吧！達人帶路）

馬六甲海峽（Selat Melaka）發展至今約500多年歷史，說起來不長不短，但是作為一個東西方交會處的貿易港口，無論是在經濟、文化上都帶來了豐富的交流火花，除了殖民政府時期的政府、廣場、教堂之外，還有許多因馬六甲海峽地理資源而發展出來的特色景點，這些可是連地理課本上都很難找到的喔！

馬六甲海峽景點推薦

馬六甲景點#1 葡萄牙海上之花

▲馬六甲海事博物館。（圖／攝影者：Will Ellis, Flickr CC License）

海上之花（Flora De La Mar）是一艘葡萄牙戰艦，在1511年來到馬六甲海峽，不只消滅了馬六甲王朝，載滿了財物、瓷器以及黃金塑像的船準備回航，卻在航向葡萄牙時沉於馬六甲海峽，因而留下了不少的傳說故事。

而現今海事博物館（Maritime Museum）的外觀，就是以這艘海上之花的造型來打造的，位置就設立在馬六甲海峽的岸邊，館內展出了從馬六甲皇朝到殖民時期以來的航海歷史資料，像是古老的航海圖、貨櫃箱等等，想要仔細了解馬六甲，就必須來這裡走一回。

開放時間：09:00-17:30，週五09:00 hrs-12:15 / 14:45-17:30

門票費用：成人2馬幣、小孩0.50馬幣

公休時間：每周二

點我預定：馬六甲海峽古蹟漫步

馬六甲景點#2 海峽清真寺

▲馬六甲海峽清真寺。（圖／攝影者：Michael Coghlan, Flickr CC License）

除了海事博物館之外，在馬六甲岸邊還有一座海峽清真寺（Malacca Straits Mosque），地點位於距離馬六甲市中心約15分鐘車程的馬六甲島（Pulau Melaka），主體建築以白色為主，加以彩繪玻璃點綴，外觀看起來優雅大方，周圍也不如市中心繁雜，大部分來往的都是信徒，可以說是觀光客少、較為清幽的區域。

而海上清真寺旁有塊立牌，寫著「馬六甲海峽－世界最長既最繁忙的海峽」，站在這裡就能眺望整個馬六甲海峽想像過去繁忙的航海時代，比對現今的寧靜，是種頗為奇妙的感覺。

開放時間：全天開放（如遇禮拜時間，請不要入內打擾）

門票費用：免費

點我預定：馬六甲深度二日遊

馬六甲景點#3 吉里望沙灘

而在馬六甲海峽旁還有個非常奇妙的地方，位於吉里望沙灘（Klebang Beach）附近有塊貧瘠的曠地，因為周圍寸草不生、沒有任何遮蔽物，加上炎熱的太陽照耀在層層疊疊的沙丘上，因而被稱之為「馬來西亞沙漠」，但其實吉里望沙灘是當地人傍晚時分會和家人來散步的沙灘，也是賞日落的好地方，來到馬六甲，不妨可以來這裡一探馬六甲人生活的真正面貌。

交通方式：抵達馬六甲中心後，轉搭計程車約２０分鐘

馬六甲景點#4 Taming Sari Tower

▲馬六甲旋轉觀光塔。（圖／攝影者：Tristan Schmurr, Flickr CC License）

如果你還想把馬六甲海峽全都收進眼底的話，那麼就一定要登上馬六甲的旋轉觀光塔－Taming Sari Tower，它的外觀仿造馬來劍設計、高達110公尺，而且這個觀光塔最不同的地方是，不是搭乘電梯直抵80公尺的觀賞平台，而是坐上景觀艙的位子整個一起上升，感覺就好像是在玩大怒神，邊玩邊俯瞰整個360度的馬六甲海峽遼闊美景！

交通方式：從馬六甲 Banda Hilir 區步行/坐三輪車/轉搭計程車

門票費用：23馬幣

官方網站：馬六甲旋轉塔觀光公司（Melaka Taming Sari Berhad）

馬六甲景點#5 搭船遊馬六甲河

▲馬六甲河。（圖／攝影者：mynikfoto, Flickr CC License）

看完了馬六甲海峽的相關景點，別忘了也要來去海事博物館附近的馬六甲河體驗搭船，充分感受一下馬六甲的海河文化，因為麻六甲河可以說是馬六甲的中央界線，將市區分成了雞場街和城市廣場兩邊，買好船票後上船自由選位，準備出航囉！

搭船遊覽的途中會經過許多麻六甲的一般住家，紅瓦白牆的排列起來非常小巧可愛，所以這裡也有「小威尼斯」之稱，轉個彎還能看見有著摩天輪的遊樂園，以及一座座橫越馬六甲河的橋樑也都獨具特色，非常讓人印象深刻！

船票費用：成人21.2馬幣，小孩7.5馬幣

點我預定：馬六甲古城、遊河二日遊

馬六甲海峽美食推薦

馬六甲必吃#1 沙嗲朱律

說到馬六甲必吃的當然就是沙嗲朱律（Satey Celup），因為它正是馬六甲與檳城潮州人一同發展出來的道地料理，吃法跟麻辣燙有點類似，其中Satey是沙嗲醬，而 Celup則是浸泡的意思，所以吃法就是將海鮮、肉串和菜類放入滾燙的沙嗲醬煮熟來吃，最早是以攤販的形式在戲院附近販賣，後來越來越受歡迎，成為馬六甲小吃店、餐廳常見的料理。

其中好吃的關鍵就是沙嗲醬，將碾碎的花生炒香後，加上黑、白、黃三種糖做為基底，再加上數十種辛香料下去熬滾後才能成就一鍋完美的沙嗲，因此沙嗲朱律吃起來總是會有濃濃的花生香味，去到馬六甲沒吃到這道料理可就白去囉！

趣吧帶你吃：馬六甲道地景點美食遊

馬六甲必吃#2 娘惹菜

▲馬六甲地理學家咖啡館。（圖／攝影者：Phalinn Ooi, Flickr CC License）

娘惹菜中的娘惹指的是從中國移民到馬來西亞後，與馬來人通婚的女性，因此結合了中華菜色的烹調方式，又保有了馬來料理的香料與醬汁，發展出一系列十分具有特色的料理，其中更是擁有了不少時代的故事與記憶。

其中又以馬六甲的地理學家（Geographér Cafe）最為知名，從1999開業至今，有著鵝黃色的洋樓外觀，內部裝潢則以繽紛的黃、綠色為主，十分符合馬來西亞的熱帶風情。至於料理的部分，地理學家一直力於提倡健康養生的娘惹菜料理，因此店內菜單上的料理多以雞肉、魚肉、海鮮為主，招牌菜是咖哩飯、麵，以及偏甜味的沙嗲料理，想試試看道地娘惹菜的旅人不妨可以試試喔！

趣吧帶你吃：馬六甲必吃必玩都在這

馬六甲必吃#3 咖哩叻沙

▲馬六甲咖哩叻沙。（圖／攝影者：Alpha, Flickr CC License）

因為馬來西亞的文化非常多元，其中這道咖哩叻沙（Curry Laksa）就是融合了馬來人、華人、娘惹等不同文化而誕生的料理，因此在不同地區也會有不同的做法，口味區分的非常細，像是娘惹叻沙、加東叻沙等近十種口味，但基本上都會雞肉絲、豆芽、血蚶、蝦子、雞蛋這些配料，所以去馬六甲肯定要吃看看跟吉隆坡、怡保的口味有什麼不一樣！

馬六甲必吃#4 晶露/珍多冰

▲馬六甲晶露。（圖／攝影者：Yun Huang Yong, Flickr CC License）

晶露是來自於印尼的一種甜點，因為音/義譯不同，所以也可以叫做煎律、煎蕊、珍多冰，外表看起來跟台灣的剉冰很像，但配料上會加上以糯米製作後再染色的紅、綠色粉條，再加上椰汁、椰糖來調味，根據個人喜好可以在加上紅豆、玉米、仙草等配料，可以說是天氣炎熱的馬六甲的必吃料理！

趣吧帶你吃：馬六甲古城、雞場場街一日遊

馬六甲必吃#5 三叔公老錢淡汶餅

最後如果你想帶點馬六甲的美食伴手禮回國給親朋好友，不妨可以到馬六甲最有名的傳統糕餅點「三叔公」去逛逛，這裡最有名的就是老錢淡汶餅，內餡是綠豆沙，餅皮吃起來脆脆的，有著豐富的口感而受大眾喜愛，另外還有現做現賣的綠豆沙餡香餅、雞仔餅，都是許多旅人到馬六甲必吃的小點喔！

馬六甲海峽旅遊地圖

馬六甲海峽行程推薦

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點我線上詢問→專業旅遊顧問

更多馬來西亞推薦玩法…

更多包車旅遊攻略推薦

馬來西亞包車旅遊5大理由｜包車讓旅遊變得超Easy

家族旅遊包車超Easy｜免費行程規劃＋爸媽無負擔

包車親子一日遊推薦玩法｜10條比租車更好玩路線

原文出處：https://blog.tripbaa.com/malaysia-melaka-attractions-food/

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mytravelbay-blog · 6 years

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10 Best Places to Visit in Ireland – Ireland Travel Video

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Ireland Travel Video: 10 Best Places to Visit in Ireland. Here is the main list of Places to Visit in Ireland: 10. Galway, 9. Aran Islands, 8. Dingle Peninsula, 7. Glendalough, 6. Dublin, 5. Giant’s Causeway, 4. Killarney National Park, 3. Bru na Boinne, 2. Ring of Kerry, 1. Cliffs of Moher.

Copyright: Video created by Omegatours.vn Omega Tours Co., LTD Add: 176 Tran Phu Str – Hai Chau Dist – Da Nang City, Vietnam Website:

Disclaimer: All audio in this video, We was used free audio in Youtube Library.

Thank For Creative Commons of Authors:

Photos Credited:

10. Galway Phalinn Ooi: http://ift.tt/2DLHK9J Eoin Gardiner: http://ift.tt/2FiOYyR 9. Aran Islands luiginter: http://ift.tt/2DNQR9F Seba Sofariu: http://ift.tt/2FiGW9c 8. Dingle Peninsula Elena: http://ift.tt/2DQVkZc Daniel Stockman: http://ift.tt/2FhFJza 7. Glendalough Roberto Taddeo: http://ift.tt/2DRJApw Douglas Pfeiffer Cardoso: http://ift.tt/2FjmXY0 6. Dublin Giuseppe Milo: http://ift.tt/2DNQY55 Giuseppe Milo: http://ift.tt/2Fm8AT0 5. Giant’s Causeway David McSpadden: http://ift.tt/2DSfqCv psyberartist: http://ift.tt/2FiGWpI 4. Killarney National Park mozzercork: http://ift.tt/2DSr3tj mariejirousek: http://ift.tt/2Flicgt 3. Bru na Boinne Collin Key: http://ift.tt/2DRfuCA This is Awkward: http://ift.tt/2Fk1azF 2. Ring of Kerry Alex Ranaldi: http://ift.tt/2DNR3pp Alex Ranaldi: http://ift.tt/2FlQvEz 1. Cliffs of Moher Alessandro Farese: http://ift.tt/2DNR3Wr Martin Abegglen: http://ift.tt/2FiOZ5T The next article was originally published on 10 Best Places to Visit in Ireland – Ireland Travel Video and is available on My Travel Bay. Find more on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agdZZAgjxTI

The post 10 Best Places to Visit in Ireland – Ireland Travel Video appeared first on My Travel Bay.

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tortuga-aak · 6 years

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UnitedHealth is buying DaVita's medical unit for $4.9 billion (UNH, DVA)

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UnitedHealth has agreed to buy Davita's medical unit for $4.9 billion.

Davita shares are up more than 11% on the news.

(Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group Inc said on Wednesday it would buy kidney care services provider DaVita Inc's medical unit for about $4.9 billion cash, as the health insurer looks to expand operations in outpatient care services.

The deal will combine UnitedHealth's Optum unit with DaVita's physician network business that serves about 1.7 million patients each year through nearly 300 clinics.

DaVita's medical unit had been a significant drag on the company's financial performance in recent quarters.

The company said it would use the proceeds from the sale for stock buybacks after the deal closes next year, and to repay debt.

DaVita's shares jumped 11.6 percent to $68.01 in premarket trading, while UnitedHealth's shares were slightly lower.

Reuters reported last month that DaVita was exploring a sale of its medical unit. (Reporting by Divya Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Sai Sachin Ravikumar)

NOW WATCH: 6 airline industry secrets that will help you fly like a pro

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years

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AccorHotels Bids $930 Million for Australia’s Mantra Group

The Mantra Circle on Cavill in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast Australia. AccorHotels has made a bid of $930 million for Mantra Group. Phalinn Ooi

Skift Take: After pursuing companies in a host of different sectors, this deal looks like a relatively straightforward one for AccorHotels. The purchase of Mantra Group would give Accor a much-needed boost in the Asia-Pacific region.

— Patrick Whyte

Accor SA, Europe’s biggest hotel operator, offered to buy Australia’s Mantra Group Ltd. in a deal valuing the hotel and resort company at A$1.2 billion ($930 million).

The French company offered A$3.96 per share in cash for Mantra and was given access to its books, the target said in a statement Monday. The indicative offer was 23 percent more than Friday’s closing price. Mantra shares jumped by a record 18 percent to A$3.81 in Sydney.

The deal would be Accor’s biggest acquisition in the Asia-Pacific region, giving it more than 20,000 rooms across Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia and access to a growing tourism market. A Mantra purchase would advance Accor’s efforts to add properties in the mid- and upscale markets, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Margaret Huang.

“The region already generates around 20 percent of total revenue and is supported by growing Chinese travel demand,” she said.

The number of international visitors to Australia is forecast to increase 13 percent to 9.2 million in the year through June 2018, and climb to 15 million within a decade, according to a government report.

Mantra closed up 16.4 percent in Sydney, while Accor was little changed at about 43 euros at 10:40 a.m. in Paris. The French company’s stock has increased 29 percent in the last 12 months, giving Accor a market value of 12.4 billion pounds.

This “is a financially attractive potential deal, though we would await clarity from Accor on what the group would do with the lease contracts — circa 19 percent of rooms — and what synergies would look like,” Barclays Plc analyst Vicki Stern wrote in a note.

HotelInvest Stake

Accor expects to raise more than 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) from the sale of a stake in its HotelInvest property unit, a deal that may take place by the end of autumn, Chief Executive Officer Sebastien Bazin said in June. In 2016, Accor bought FRHI, the operator of the Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel chains, to expand its presence in Asia and the U.S.

The Mantra offer could prompt rival bids, AllianceBernstein Holding LP analysts including Richard Clarke said in a note, citing reported interest in the chain from Marriott International Inc. in 2015. While the bid indicates that Accor expects to close the sale of a HotelInvest stake, the integration of Mantra will be complex, they said.

Accor already has 205 properties with 27,401 rooms in Australia, including Novotel, Ibis and Mercure hotels. Mantra’s properties include luxury retreats and coastal resorts as well as serviced CBD apartments.

Mantra has retained Highbury Partnership as its financial adviser and Baker McKenzie as legal adviser, according to the statement.

This article was written by Zoe Ma from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].

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rollinbrigittenv8 · 7 years

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AccorHotels Bids $930 Million for Australia’s Mantra Group

The Mantra Circle on Cavill in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast Australia. AccorHotels has made a bid of $930 million for Mantra Group. Phalinn Ooi

— Patrick Whyte

Accor SA, Europe’s biggest hotel operator, offered to buy Australia’s Mantra Group Ltd. in a deal valuing the hotel and resort company at A$1.2 billion ($930 million).

“The region already generates around 20 percent of total revenue and is supported by growing Chinese travel demand,” she said.

HotelInvest Stake

Mantra has retained Highbury Partnership as its financial adviser and Baker McKenzie as legal adviser, according to the statement.

This article was written by Zoe Ma from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].

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cute-elephants · 6 years

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Photo by Phalinn Ooi

#elephant #elephants #baby-animals #wild #cute-animals

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plungeintoyou-blog · 7 years

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Mazaya Responsive WordPress News, Magazine Theme

Mazaya is a powerful responsive and multipurpose WordPress theme, perfect for news or magazine, blog website and many more!. It’s super flexible, clean design (and code) packed with all the features you need to present yourself with style and professionalism.

What’s new in Mazaya 2

Improvements and many issues fixed in RTL Arabic version.

Add New Blog Format layout.

Add new Games (Dark) style profile.

And much more…

Joomla Version Available Here.

RTL Arabic Demo

How to update

To update Mazaya theme do the following steps:

First of all make a backup of all the customized theme files, so you can recover it and redo all changes at any time.

Download the latest theme version and extract the package to your Desktop.

Copy all files from the theme folder to wordpress/wp-content/themes/fw_mazaya and replace all files.

Redo your changes by merging your customized files with the new ones.

Tip: If you want to modify your theme, it’s recommended to create your own style. A style uses a separate directory and this way the all your changes will be kept when updating your original theme files by replacing them.

Documentation & Video Guides

Complete Detailed Documentation

Installing Mazaya Theme

Setup The Menu in Mazaya

Using Mazaya Theme with WPML

Create a Custom Widget Variations and Style

Update Log

3 October 132013 - v 2.0 ======================================== Added --- Blog format layout. Added --- New corporate layout Added --- Games (Dark) style profile. Added --- Images to posts in search page. Added --- Option to show/hide featured image in single post . Added --- Option to edit Designed by Fawaniss. Added --- Option to limit excerpt length. Added --- Option to control the style of the post title in main page. Added --- Corporate, new style to Roksprocket slideshow layout. Improved --- Text in footer. Improved --- Full widht profile. Improved --- Mazaya admin panel. Improved --- Roksprocket strips layout. Improved --- Roksprocket moasic layout. Fixed --- Issue in toolbar patterns. Fixed --- Roksprotcket issue when display the title only. Fixed --- Small issue in insttaling Demo site. Fixed --- Many small issue in rtl version. Fixed --- small issue in mobile device. Fixed --- Vertical menu issue in iPad device. Update --- Documentation. 18 August 2013 - v 1.1 ======================================== Added --- More social icons. Added --- More social icons for the author box. Added --- option to show/hide social icons. Added --- Option to show/hide post meta info. Added --- Option to show/hide post footer Links in frontpage and category posts. Added --- Option to show/hide Posts description Text in frontpage and category posts. Added --- Color picker to mazaya admin panel. Improved --- Image Caption. Improved --- Post Excerpts in frontpage. Improved --- Featured image style. Improved --- Mazaya admin panel. Fixed --- Shortcode button in editor. Fixed --- Vertical menu issue. Fixed --- small issue in google/safari browser. 14 August 2013 - v 1.0 ====================================== --- Initial Release

General Features

HTML5 and CSS3 tableless design.

Fully compatible for all major browsers.

A fully responsive layout that adapts perfectly for all device resolutions like mobiles, tablets and desktops

Warp Speed, Engage! Combine, minify, cache and compress CSS and JavaScripts on the fly. Reduce HTTP requests with Data URIs.

The two available sidebars, can be switched to the left or right side and their widths can easily be set in the theme administration.

The module positions allow to choose a module layout which defines the module alignment and proportions: equal, double or stack. You can easily add your own module layouts. Sidebar Layouts

Vertical menu and Top Menu.

Accordion Menu.

Ajax Search.

80+ widgets Positions

2 different page layouts, boxed or full width.

Unlimited Backgrounds for boxed mode.

Grid System.

Create custom theme styles: Styles are child themes which inherit or override resources from the default theme

5 Preset with Unlimited Color variation. you can make your own color style theme from admin panel.

Unlimited Accent Color Options

Easy Customization.

Custom CSS and Javascript.

Google Analytic Integration.

Lots of Short code and awesome typography style included for easy content management.

Breadcrumbs support included.

All Warp framework features are available.

Very detailed documentation in both Well Documented and video tutorials helps you to easily customize and configure template.

Superb customer support, always on hand to help out.

Plugins

You do not need to installing this plugins, automatically installed and activated With the mazaya theme.

RokSprocket

Widgetkit

CF Post Formats

Thanks so much to:

Warp Framework

FlexSlider 2

jQueryUI

Spectrum

Font Awesome

Subtle Patterns

Iconfinder

Photos used in the demo site from:

All images are copyrighted to their respective owners. It is only for display in the demo and not included in the download files.

Kalexanderson , Eduardo Amorim, paul bica, Trey Ratcliff, Trey Ratcliff, Bradford Speers, slagheap, RAUL BROCKMANN, Iomega , Merzak Bouki, Meg Puente, Ryusha, Pieric Dupaquier, Cdevers, David, Hendrikmorkel, South dock, ericflexyourhead, agfreiburg, special-fx, syriafreedom, agfreiburg, clanlife, jeffanddayna, timsamoff, soelin, stuckincustoms, tim, kenjonbro, phalinn, christophe, embarqbrasil, epsos, carmichaellibrary, Andrew, corgan, thevortext, su-lin, genbug, Edo

don’t forget if you like it, rate it.

Download this now

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bisakimia · 6 years

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Pentingnya Puasa Bagi Kesehatan

Ramadhan (Photo credit: phalinn)

Dalam bulan Ramadhan ini, hampir semua umat muslim di dunia menjalani puasa ramadhan yang merupakan salah satu kewajiban umat islam yang termasuk salah satu rukun islam.

Dalam setiap hal yang diperintahkan oleh Allah swt pasti ada hikmah yang terkandung dalamnya, walaupun tidak semuanya kita tahu, begitu pula dalam berpuasa. Dalam sebulan penuh kita berpuasa.

Tent…

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topsolarpanels · 7 years

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The Surprising Way Meditation Made This CEO A Better Boss

Tom Werner can rarely clear his schedule. Instead, he clears his mind.

“When you’re the CEO, you’re always thinking about the next thing,” the chief executive of solar energy titan SunPower said in a recent interview with The Huffington Post. “I have an interview for X time, then I’m going to that meeting, then I have that dinner tonight, and then tomorrow I’ve got…”

He said just 10 minutes of mindful meditation every night helps him stay present and subdue distracting thoughts or emotions that prevent him from paying attention during each of his obligations in a given day. That, he said, makes a huge difference in how he leads the San Jose-based company’s roughly 6,300 employees.

“When I meet with people all day, especially internal people, they usually prepare a lot, because it’s an important meeting for them,” said Werner. “If I’m thinking of something else, and I’m somewhere else, it makes the meeting less productive and it doesn’t treat their time with respect.”

Regular meditation and healthy amounts of sleep essentially work to drain out toxins — such as molecules associated with the degeneration of brain cells — that build up during waking hours. This, in turn, can help decrease stress and improve concentration.

Werner also says that meditation makes him a more empathetic, respectful boss — and empathy has been lauded as the “most valuable thing” taught at Harvard Business School. After all, a boss’ management style tends to trickle down to the rest of the company, for better or worse.

With that in mind, it’s probably not surprising that Amazon’s Jeff Bezos plummeted in a ranking of the world’s best chief executives this year, after The New York Times published an exposé of the e-commerce giant’s Hobbesian work culture. One might draw a line from Amazon’s “bruising workplace” to Bezos’ early days on Wall Street, which is notorious for its cutthroat culture. (Amazon, for its part, denies the characterizations made in the Times’ story.)

At home, Werner meditates in front of a mandala — a type of diagram used to represent the universe in some forms of Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism — given to him by his daughter. The flower-like geometric image, which emanates from a dandelion-yellow center, helps him to focus on the purpose of his meditation.

Courtesy of Tom Werner

SunPower CEO Tom Werner’s daughter gave him a framed mandala to help his meditation.

“Mine was, at the core, about how to make the most out of every second,” he said of the meditation recommended with his mandala. “How does it all influence my family? People at work? The eco-system? The economy at large?”

Werner can vaguely approximate his personal effect on the environment and the economy — he does, after all, serve as the chief executive of a company producing clean, sustainable energy — and he sees his mindfulness having definite effects on his colleagues.

SunPower is a 30-year-old firm, but it offers some perks usually associated with flashy, cash-flush tech startups. There’s a meditation room. The office is set up as a large, well-lit open space, framed with private huddle rooms.

“We want you to come in and feel the photons,” Werner said of the window-ensconced headquarters, which is lit by energy-saving bulbs. “It’s open, with a lot of light — and those LED lights, by the way.”

19 Reasons To Love Meditation

It Lowers Stress — Literally

Research published just last month in the journal Health Psychology shows that mindfulness is not only associated with feeling less stressed, it’s also linked with decreased levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

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It Lowers Stress — Literally

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It Lets Us Get To Know Our True Selves

It lets us get to know our true selves. Mindfulness can help us see beyond those rose-colored glasses when we need to really objectively analyze ourselves. A study in the journal Psychological Science shows that mindfulness can help us conquer common “blind spots,” which can amplify or diminish our own flaws beyond reality.

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It Can Make Your Grades Better

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that college students who were trained in mindfulness performed better on the verbal reasoning section of the GRE, and also experienced improvements in their working memory. “Our results suggest that cultivating mindfulness is an effective and efficient technique for improving cognitive function, with widereaching consequences,” the researchers wrote in the Psychological Science study.

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It Could Help People With Arthritis

A 2011 study in the journal Annals of Rheumatic Disease shows that even though mindfulness training may not help to lessen pain for people with rheumatoid arthritis, it could help to lower their stress and fatigue.

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It Changes The Brain In A Protective Way

University of Oregon researchers found that integrative body-mind training — which is a meditation technique — can actually result in brain changes that may be protective against mental illness. The meditation practice was linked with increased signaling connections in the brain, something called axonal density, as well as increased protective tissue (myelin) around the axons in the anterior cingulate brain region.

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It Works As The Brain’s "Volume Knob"

Ever wondered why mindfulness meditation can make you feel more focused and zen? It’s because it helps the brain to have better control over processing pain and emotions, specifically through the control of cortical alpha rhythms (which play a role in what senses our minds are attentive to), according to a study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

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It Makes Music Sound Better

Mindfulness meditation improves our focused engagement in music, helping us to truly enjoy and experience what we’re listening to, according to a study in the journal Psychology of Music.

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It Helps Us Even When We’re Not Actively Practicing It

You don’t have to actually be meditating for it to still benefit your brain’s emotional processing. That’s the finding of a study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, which shows that the amygdala brain region’s response to emotional stimuli is changed by meditation, and this effect occurs even when a person isn’t actively meditating.

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It Has Four Elements That Help Us In Different Ways

The health benefits of mindfulness can be boiled down to four elements, according to a Perspectives on Psychological Science study: body awareness, self-awareness, regulation of emotion and regulation of attention.

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It Could Help Your Doctor Be Better At His/Her Job

Doctors, listen up: Mindfulness meditation could help you better care for your patients. Research from the University of Rochester Medical Center shows that doctors who are trained in mindfulness meditation are less judgmental, more self-aware and better listeners when it comes to interacting with patients

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It Makes You A Better Person

Sure, we love all the things meditation does for us. But it could also benefit people we interact with, by making us more compassionate, according to a study in the journal Psychological Science. Researchers from Northeastern and Harvard universities found that meditation is linked with more virtuous, “do-good” behavior.

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It Could Make Going Through Cancer Just A Little Less Stressful

Research from the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine shows that mindfulness coupled with art therapy can successfully decrease stress symptoms among women with breast cancer. And not only that, but imaging tests show that it is actually linked with brain changes related to stress, emotions and reward.

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It Could Help The Elderly Feel Less Lonely

Loneliness among seniors can be dangerous, in that it’s known to raise risks for a number of health conditions. But researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, found that mindfulness meditation helped to decrease these feelings of loneliness among the elderly, and boost their health by reducing the expression of genes linked with inflammation.

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It Could Make Your Health Care Bill A Little Lower

Not only will your health benefit from mindfulness meditation training, but your wallet might, too. Research in the American Journal of Health Promotion shows that practicing Transcendental Meditation is linked with lower yearly doctor costs, compared with people who don’t practice the meditation technique.

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It Comes In Handy During Cold Season

Aside from practicing good hygiene, mindfulness meditation and exercise could lessen the nasty effects of colds. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Health found that people who engage in the practices miss fewer days of work from acute respiratory infections, and also experience a shortened duration and severity of symptoms.

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It Lowers Depression Risk Among Pregnant Women

As many as one in five pregnant women will experience depression, but those who are at especially high risk for depression may benefit from some mindfulness yoga. “Research on the impact of mindfulness yoga on pregnant women is limited but encouraging,” study researcher Dr. Maria Muzik, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, said in a statement. “This study builds the foundation for further research on how yoga may lead to an empowered and positive feeling toward pregnancy.”

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It <em>Also</em> Lowers Depression Risk Among Teens

Teaching teens how to practice mindfulness through school programs could help them experience less stress, anxiety and depression, according to a study from the University of Leuven.

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It Supports Your Weight-Loss Goals

Trying to shed a few pounds to get to a healthier weight? Mindfulness could be your best friend, according to a survey of psychologists conducted by Consumer Reports and the American Psychological Association. Mindfulness training was considered an “excellent” or “good” strategy for weight loss by seven out of 10 psychologists in the survey.

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It Helps You Sleep Better

We saved the best for last! A University of Utah study found that mindfulness training can not only help us better control our emotions and moods, but it can also help us sleep better at night. People who reported higher levels of mindfulness described better control over their emotions and behaviors during the day. In addition, higher mindfulness was associated with lower activation at bedtime, which could have benefits for sleep quality and future ability to manage stress,” study researcher Holly Rau said in a statement.

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tortuga-aak · 6 years

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A hospital charged $1,877 to pierce a 5-year-old’s ears — and it shows why health care costs so much

Experts estimate the US health care system wastes $765 billion annually — about a quarter of all the money that’s spent. Of that, an estimated $210 billion goes to unnecessary or needlessly expensive care.

In one instance, a hospital charged over $1,800 to pierce a 5-year-old's ears during surgery.

This is just one example of the ways waste is baked into the healthcare system in America.

This story was co-published with NPR’s Shots blog.

Two years ago, Margaret O’Neill brought her 5-year-old daughter to Children’s Hospital Colorado because the band of tissue that connected her tongue to the floor of her mouth was too tight. The condition, literally called being “tongue-tied,” made it hard for the girl to make “th” sounds.

It’s a common problem with a simple fix: an outpatient procedure to snip the tissue.

During a pre-operative visit, the surgeon offered to throw in a surprising perk. Should we pierce her ears while she’s under?

O’Neill’s first thought was that her daughter seemed a bit young to have her ears pierced. Her second: Why was a surgeon offering to do this? Wasn’t that something done free at the mall with the purchase of a starter set of earrings?

“That’s so funny,” O’Neill recalled saying. “I didn’t think you did ear piercings.”

The surgeon, Peggy Kelley, told her it could be a nice thing for a child, O’Neill said. All she had to do is bring earrings on the day of the operation. O’Neill agreed, assuming it would be free.

Her daughter emerged from surgery with her tongue newly freed and a pair of small gold stars in her ears.

Only months later did O’Neill discover her cost for this extracurricular work: $1,877.86 for “operating room services” related to the ear piercing — a fee her insurer was unwilling to pay.

At first, O’Neill assumed the bill was a mistake. Her daughter hadn’t needed her ears pierced, and O’Neill would never have agreed to it if she’d known the cost. She complained in phone calls and in writing.

The hospital wouldn’t budge. In fact, O’Neill said it dug in, telling her to pay up or it would send the bill to collections. The situation was “absurd,” she said.

Phalinn Ooi/Flickr“There are a lot of things we’d pay extra for a doctor to do,” she said. “This is not one of them.”

Kelley and the hospital declined to comment to ProPublica about the ear piercing.

Surgical ear piercings are rare, according to the Health Care Cost Institute, a nonprofit that maintains a database of commercial health insurance claims. The institute could only find a few dozen possible cases a year in its vast cache of billing data. But O’Neill’s case is a vivid example of health care waste known as overuse.

Into this category fall things like unnecessary tests, higher-than-needed levels of care or surgeries that have proven ineffective.

Wasteful use of medical care has “become so normalized that I don’t think people in the system see it,” said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of The Lown Institute, a Boston think tank focused on making health care more effective, affordable and just. “We need more serious studies of what these practices are.”

Experts estimate the U.S. health care system wastes $765 billion annually — about a quarter of all the money that’s spent. Of that, an estimated $210 billion goes to unnecessary or needlessly expensive care, according to a 2012 report by the National Academy of Medicine.

ProPublica has been documenting the ways waste is baked into the system. Hospitals throw away new supplies and nursing homes discard still-potent medication. Drugmakers combine cheap ingredients to create expensive specialty pills and arbitrary drug expiration dates force hospitals and pharmacies to toss valuable drugs.

We also reported how drug companies make oversize eyedrops and vials of cancer drugs, forcing patients to pay for medication they are unable to use. In response, a group of U.S. senators introduced a bill this month to reduce what they called “colossal and completely preventable waste.”

But any discussion of waste needs to look how health care dollars are thrown away on procedures and care that patients don’t need — and how hard it is to stop it.

Win McNamee/Getty ImagesJust ask Christina Arenas.

Arenas, 34, has a history of noncancerous cysts in her breasts so last summer when her gynecologist found some lumps in her breast and sent her for an ultrasound to rule out cancer, she wasn’t worried.

But on the day of scan, the sonographer started the ultrasound, then stopped to consult a radiologist. They told her she needed a mammogram before the ultrasound could be done.

Arenas, an attorney who is married to a doctor, told them she didn’t want a mammogram. She didn’t want to be exposed to the radiation, or pay for the procedure. But sitting on the table in a hospital gown, she didn’t have much leverage to negotiate.

So, she agreed to a mammogram, followed by an ultrasound. The findings: no cancer. As Arenas suspected, she had cysts, fluid-filled sacs that are common in women her age.

The radiologist told her to come back in two weeks so they could drain the cysts with a needle, guided by yet another ultrasound. But when she returned she got two ultrasounds: one before the procedure and another as part of it.

The radiologist then sent the fluid from the cysts to pathology to test it for cancer. That test confirmed — again — that there wasn’t any cancer. Her insurance whittled the bills down to $2,361, most of which she had to pay herself because of her insurance plan.

Arenas didn’t like paying for something she didn’t think she needed and resented the loss of control. “It was just kind of, ‘Take it or leave it.’ The whole thing. You had no choice as to your own care.”

Arenas, sure she’d been given care she didn’t need, discussed it with one of her husband’s friends who is a gynecologist. She learned the process could have been more simple and affordable.

Arenas complained to The George Washington Medical Faculty Associates, the large Washington, D.C., doctor group that provided her treatment. Her request to have the bill reduced was denied. Then bill collectors got involved, so she demanded a refund and threatened legal action.

She said she never got to speak to anyone. Her demand was routed to an attorney, who declined her request because there was “no inappropriate care.” She also complained to her insurance company and the Washington, D.C., attorney general’s office, but they declined to help reduce the bill.

Overtreatment related to mammograms is a common problem. The national cost of false-positive tests and overdiagnosed breast cancer is estimated at $4 billion a year, according to a 2015 study in Health Affairs.

Some of this is fueled by anxious patients, some by doctors who know that missing a cancer diagnosis can be grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. But advocates, patients and even some doctors note the screenings can also be a cash cow for physicians and hospitals.

With Arenas’ permission, we shared her case with experts, including Dr. Barbara Levy, vice president of health policy for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and three radiologists.

Levy said there’s a standard way to treat a suspected breast cyst that’s efficient and cost-effective. If the lump is large, as in Arenas’ case, a doctor should first use a needle to try and drain it. If the fluid is clear and the lump goes away there’s no cause for concern or extra testing. If the fluid is bloody or can’t be drained, or the mass is solid, then medical imaging tests can determine if it’s cancerous.

Getty ImagesHowever, doctors often choose to order imaging tests rather than drain apparent cysts, Levy said. “We’re so afraid the next one might be cancer even though the last 10 weren’t,” she said. “So, we overtest.”

Levy and the radiologists agreed that at least some of Arenas’ care seemed excessive. But their opinions varied, which shows why it can be difficult to reduce unnecessary care. Standards are often open-ended, so they allow for a wide range of practices and doctors have autonomy to take the route they think is best for patients.

The American College of Radiology recommends an ultrasound for a 32-year-old — Arenas’ age at the time of the procedure — with an unidentified breast mass. Mammograms are also an option, but “most benign lesions in young women are not visualized by mammography,” the guidelines state.

Dr. Phillip Shaffer, a radiologist who’s practiced for decades in Columbus, Ohio, said he didn’t think Arenas needed the mammogram. “I wouldn’t do it,” he said. “If I did an ultrasound and saw cysts, I’d say you have cysts. In 32-year-olds the mammogram does almost nothing.”

Dr. Jay Baker, chair of the American College of Radiology breast imaging communications committee, agreed that the ultrasound alone would have “almost certainly” identified the cyst. But, he said, maybe something about the lumps concerned Arenas’ radiologist, so a mammogram was ordered.

None of the radiologists consulted by ProPublica could explain why two ultrasounds on the return visit would be necessary. According to Arenas’ medical records, the practice told one reviewer that two were done to make sure the cysts hadn’t changed.

Shaffer didn’t buy it. “They just billed her twice for one thing,” he said.

Levy, the gynecologist, said it’s “excessive” to do two ultrasounds. And, she said, there was no need to send clear fluid to pathology.

Arenas offered to waive her privacy rights so the practice that provided her treatment could speak to ProPublica. Officials from the practice declined to comment. Her medical records show that in response to reviews by her insurance company and the attorney general’s office, her doctors said the care was appropriate.

Since then she has her cysts drained without images in her gynecologist’s office for about $350. But Arenas said on two occasions she’s used a needle at home to do it herself. (Doctors do not recommend this approach.) She admits it was an extreme choice, but at the time she worried she would be subjected to more unnecessary tests.

“I was taken advantage of because I was a captive audience,” she said.

In a brick-and-glass office park just outside Roanoke, Virginia, Missy Conley and Jeanne Woodward have battled on behalf of hundreds of patients who believe they’ve been overtreated or overcharged. The two work for Medliminal, a company that challenges erroneous and inflated medical bills on behalf of consumers in exchange for a share of the savings.

The two women excitedly one-up each other with their favorite outrages. How about the two cases involving unnecessary pregnancy tests? One of the patients was 82 —decades past her childbearing years. The other involved a younger woman who no longer had a uterus.

Another case involved an uninsured man who fell off his mountain bike and hurt his shoulder. The first responders pressured him to take an air ambulance to a hospital when it would have been faster for his friends to drive him. He got charged $44,000 for the whirlybird. Such unexpectedly pricey flights — and the aggressive billing that comes with them — have been featured in stories by NPR, The New York Times and The Atlantic.

Medliminal gets dozens of calls a week from consumers who are fed up with the medical system.

Woodward, a nurse and certified medical auditor, regularly sees patients billed for unnecessary lab tests. A man with diabetes may only need his glucose measured, but the doctor may order a bundle of 14 unnecessary tests, she said. The extra tests inflate the tab.

If there’s a billing dispute it can take months of phone calls and emails to get a case resolved, said Conley, who gained an insider’s knowledge during years working for insurance companies.

Patients fighting bills on their own often give up and pay the bill or let it go to collections, she said. “The whole system is broken,” Conley said.

Saini, president of The Lown Institute, said profit is a major driver of overuse.

“Providers are getting constant messages from superiors or partners to maximize revenue,” Saini said. “In this system we have, that’s not a crime. That’s business as usual.”

Patients aren’t true health care consumers because they typically can’t shop by price and they often don’t have control over the care they receive, Saini said. The medical evidence may support multiple paths for providing care, but patients are unable to tell what is or is not discretionary, he said. Time pressure adds urgency, which makes it difficult to discuss or research various options.

“It’s sort of this perfect storm where no one is really evil but the net effect is predatory,” Saini said.

Once the service or treatment is provided, the bill is on its way, with little forgiveness.

Getty ImagesIn 2015, Dr. Dong Chang, the director of the medical intensive care unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a public hospital in Los Angeles, decided to see whether the care being delivered in his ICU was appropriate.

Resources were scarce in his ICU, and he suspected it might be possible to manage them better. So, he and his colleagues reviewed the records of all the patients in the unit over the course of a year to see whether the patients might have been either too sick, or too healthy, to benefit from intensive care.

The results shocked them. They determined the care may not have been beneficial to more than half of the patients. “ICU care is inefficient, devoting substantial resources to patients less likely to benefit,” their study, published in the February edition of JAMA Internal Medicine, concluded.

Chang and his team also reviewed the use of intensive care at 94 hospitals in two states, Maryland and Washington, focusing on four common conditions that can lead to treatment in an intensive care unit.

They found wide variation in the types of patients hospitals determined needed intensive care. One hospital put 16 percent of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious condition that can result in a coma, in intensive care, while another hospital did so with 81 percent of such patients. The range for patients with pulmonary embolisms was from 5 percent to 44 percent and for those with congestive heart failure, it was 4 percent to 49 percent.

Chang attributes the difference to doctors using intensive care based on their habits, hunches or training. Profit, he said, may also be a motive, but it didn’t appear to be a driving force.

“We really don’t have good standards and a good discussion going on about who should receive ICU care,” Chang said.

The unnecessary intensive care can also be harmful. The study found intensive care patients underwent more invasive procedures, like the insertion of catheters, including central lines, which carry the risk of infection. Overuse of the ICU is bad for patients who don’t need it, Chang said. Survival rates were also no better at the hospitals that used intensive care the most.

Reducing unneeded intensive care stays would save big money. Intensive care costs about $10,000 for a typical stay and accounts for 4 percent of national health care expenditures, according to research cited by Chang’s team.

NEC Corporation of America/FlickrIf the hospitals in Maryland and Washington with the highest rates of intensive care use had behaved more like those with lower use, it would save around $137 million, the study estimated. That’s the savings for fewer than 100 hospitals in two states. There are about 4,000 hospitals nationwide, suggesting that reducing unnecessary intensive care use could save billions of dollars a year.

Chang hesitated to call the overuse of intensive care “wasted” health care spending. He said the medical literature calls it “non-beneficial” care, which is maybe a nicer way of saying the same thing.

For O’Neill, her dispute of the fee for her daughter’s ear piercing was a trip into the hell of medical billing.

O’Neill is an attorney, so she knows how to weed through fine print. But it took her untold hours and phone calls to the hospital and her insurance company to root out the issue. The hospital had initially billed her insurer for the $1,877.86 for “operating room services” related to the ear piercing. The company rightly rejected payment for the cosmetic procedure. So, the hospital billed the family, according to her medical and billing records and correspondence.

The surgeon billed the family an additional $110, which O’Neill paid.

The operative report describes the piercing in obscure technical terms: “The bilateral lobules were prepped with betadine and a 18 gauge was used to pierce the left lobule in the planned position …”

O’Neill said she got nowhere in several conversations with the manager of the hospital’s team that deals with payments directly from consumers. Then in mid-July, O’Neill wrote a letter to the manager explaining that they were at an impasse and urged the hospital to cancel the bill.

In early August, ProPublica contacted the hospital and surgeon to inquire about the ear piercing. The hospital spokeswoman replied in an email that, generally speaking, ear piercings during surgery are rare and only done at the request of a family. (The medical records say O’Neill requested the ear piercing.) It would not result in a separate operating room charge, she wrote.

The spokeswoman’s explanation didn’t jibe with the hospital’s bill, which even listed the billing code for ear piercing. She declined to discuss O’Neill’s case or explain the discrepancy.

In mid-August, the self-pay manager sent O’Neill a letter saying, “the remaining balance of $1,877.86” would be removed “as a one-time courtesy adjustment.”

The manager added that the hospital hadn’t done anything wrong. The account was “correctly documented, coded, charged and billed according to industry standards,” she wrote.

And that’s just the problem. The hospital’s $1,877 bill for the ear piercing was within industry standards.

As for O’Neill, she and her daughter had to endure one additional insult. The surgeon’s piercing of one ear was off-kilter so it had to be redone. This time O’Neill had it done at the mall, for about 30 bucks.

NOW WATCH: The disturbing reason some people turn red when they drink alcohol

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Top 10 Go-To places in Cambodia

Out of Town Blog Top 10 Go-To places in Cambodia

Top Ten Go-To places in Cambodia

Cambodia is such a majestic country. It’s filled with the remnants of the Khmer Empire, an immensely powerful rule back in the 802 CE. Their territory stretched from Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Southern Vietnam.

The Khmer Empire’s signature architecture is mostly seen in these countries, but it is in Cambodia where they placed their seat of power. But apart from the beautiful temple ruins, Cambodia also tells tales of gruesome stories that would leave you haunted and saddened.

Angkor Wat during Sunset Photo credit: sachman75 / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

People come here every now and then to relish the mystical vibe that the country has to offer, so for the purpose of knowing more about this country, here are the top 10 Go-to places here.

1. Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat – places in Cambodia Photo credit: Roberto.Trombetta / Foter / CC BY-NC

Angkor Wat is one of the Seven Wonder’s of the World and perhaps is the most known landmark in this country. Its classic picture perfect temples are quite eye catching and lots of people have taken photographs of it countless of times for its sheer beauty. Many people are awe-struck with the well preserved structures, and others are quite amazed with the profound history that backs up the entire colossal monument that Angkor Wat is. Angkor Wat is something that you would never miss to see while in this country.

2. Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom Cambodia Photo credit: dalbera / Foter / CC BY

Like Angkor Wat, it was also the Capital of the Khmer Empire. To be more precise, it was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. Much like the Angkor Wat, its stand out architecture and chiseled stone sculptures are quite astounding to look at. This is a huge complex housing iconic structures such as the Bayon Temple, the 54 Gods and the 54 Demons, the Terrace of Elephants and the Baphuon.

3. National Museum of Cambodia

National Museum of Cambodia Photo credit: phalinn / Foter / CC BY

Every country has their story and what better way to get to know their history than visiting the National Museums. Cambodia’s National Museum has a wide collection of Pre-historic and Khmer artifacts. Most of these materials are of ceramic and bronze.

4. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Most people would describe this place as a disturbing but moving place. It was a former high school turned into a torture camp by the Khmer Rouge. 14 000 people were held captive here and only 7 survived of them came out alive. The gruesome history of the place is ironically the most attracting factor of this place.

5. The Killing Fields

Skulls of those executed at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center near Phnom Penh Photo credit: sctatepdx / Foter / CC BY-NC

As mentioned earlier, Cambodia does have a horrendous history especially during the Khmer Rouge. One of the places where you’d get to see this fact unfold is through the Killing Fields. Locally referred to as Wat Thmey, The Killing Fields is named for being an execution area for the captives held in Tuol Sleng. The small area features a memorial for those who have died in these fields. A small structure with glass and inscriptions that houses some of the vicitims here could be found in this place.

6. Royal Palace

Preabaromareachaveang The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh Photo credit: ethan.crowley / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

The Royal Palace is probably one of the most iconic places in Phnom Penh. It is the residence of his Majesty Preah Bat smdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk and Her Majesty Preah Reach Akka-Mohesey Norodom Monineath .It’s golden roof with the signature pointy ends is something you most definitely would not miss. Visiting the Royal Palace would give you a glimpse of the spectacular artifacts, a taste of Cambodia’s culture, and a piece of the country’s history.

7. Silver Pagoda

Silver Pagoda

It’s really quite astounding how there are so many iconic structures there are in Phnom Penh alone. Joining that list would be the Silver Pagoda. It got its interesting moniker from the fact that the floor of the temple is covered with at least 5000 tiles made from silver. Other attractions here are the Emerald Buddha, the ashes of Buddha, and tons of paintings.

8. Bantay Srei

Banteay Srei Temple in Siem Reap Photo credit: Nick Moulds / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

The Bantay Srei literelly translates to “Citadel of Women” and it was said that women carved the stone sculptures engraved on the walls of this temple. The superbly intricate details of the carvings would tell you of the old Hindu tales, so it would be great to have some tour guide tell you more about it.

9. Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville Photo credit: patrikmloeff / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Now if you think that Cambodia is nothing more but a Temple Capital of the world, well think again, because there’s a part of this country called Sihanoukville where you could bathe under the sun and enjoy the relaxing sound of the waves and the refreshing waters of the sea. It’s got white sands, and pristine spots that are mostly undeveloped.

10. Koh Ker

Koh Ker

If you think that you can only find pyramids in Egypt and in Maya’s, Aztecs’, and Incas’ territories then I am afraid you are mistaken, because in Cambodia, you get to see Koh Ker. It was once a capital of the Khmer Empire like that of the Angkor Wat, but it was only for a brief time. The pyramid here is Prasat Thom which is about 30 meters in height, towering the entire landscape of the area.

Also Read: Must See Places You Can’t Leave Cambodia Without Seeing!

Check for list of hotels in Cambodia via Agoda.com.